Abstract Information :

Air-quality issues are experienced in practically all major European cities. This has negative consequences across the EU for the environment/climate, human health, and the economy. Traffic is responsible for 60% of the total emissions in major urban areas with air pollutants from vehicles including CO2, CO, NOx and particulate matter (PM).

There have been significant efforts to reduce traffic emissions since an EU Directive in 1970 on "measures to be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles". However, the reality is that tests for vehicle emissions are not conducted under real driving conditions. This is true both for the manufacturers tests conducted before vehicles are brought to market and for the routine controls conducted once a vehicle has entered circulation.
More detailed systems are needed that are able to correctly monitor and measure all the emissions of vehicles in real time under true driving conditions. This can be a key tool for supporting the implementation of effective policies to reach European air-quality objectives.

The LIFE GySTRA project aims to create an innovative remote-sensing device able to continuously monitor emissions of NO, CO, CO2, PM and NO2 in real driving conditions. It thus aims to be able to identify high emitting vehicles and require them to be repaired as part of a highly replicable urban air quality management model.

The project will develop and test a new tool (the RSD+) that will remotely measure real driving emissions in two pilot schemes:

- A public model in the Spanish city of Madrid - in which 700 000 vehicles per year will be monitored with two RSD+ devices, enabling the Spanish government to notify high emitters and requiring them to repair their vehicle or face a fine; and

- A fleet model in the Austrian city of Graz - in which a fleet of 150 buses will be measured continuously, enabling the city council to better control urban emissions.
The tool will use remote-sensing technology to measure emissions at fixed locations, with high accuracy and on a large scale. All vehicle measurements will be recorded. This will enable emissions savings to be calculated as well as providing the basis for a new, more robust and cleaner transport policy.

The implementation of the project and its subsequent replication on other EU member states constitutes a clear support to the achievement of the specific objectives for air and emissions of the Roadmap to an Efficient Use of Resources in Europe and the VII Environment Program. The project will also facilitate compliance with EU rules on air quality and emissions, including Directive 2001/81/EC [DIR-2001 EU] of the European Union.

Finally, it is worth noting that vehicles with high emission levels are also prone to mechanical failure causing excessive pollution as well as poor combustion efficiency. Identifying and repairing these high emmiters offers the additional benefit of reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, which would help to meet the Kyoto protocol standards.